Write Your First HTTP Cookie

Cookies are set by the browser, often with a CGI or JavaScript. You can write a script to set a cookie at any event on a Web page. For example, if you go to this page you will be given the option to set a cookie when you click another link. The cookie looks something like this:

This means:

• Set-Cookie:
  • This is the call that set's the cookie in the browser's cookie store.
• Count=1;
  • This is the name of your cookie.
• expires=Wednesday, 01-Aug-2040 08:00:00 GMT;
  • This details when the cookie will expire.
• path=/;
  • This is the minimum path that needs to exist for the cookie to be returned.
• webdesign.about.com
  • The domain that set the cookie, and is the only domain that can retrieve the cookie.

Use the following code to write your cookie:

Once you've written the cookie, you need to read it in order to use it. Use this script to read your cookie:

Set your cookie when someone clicks a link with this code in your HTML body: